Dwight Howard On Staying With The Magic, Fatherhood & His Relationship With Royce Reed

I wonder if orlando Magic fans will take Dwight Howard’s departure as hard as Cavs fans took LeBron leaving. You know it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that Dwight won’t be in a Magic uniform for much longer. Most think Dwight has his sights set on Laker land (we’d take him, if the new CBA allows for it… oh and Jim Buss)

But nothing is written in stone. The other likely destination would seem to be in Brooklyn with the Nets (they have the money to pay him, Deron Williams at pg, could be nice.)

We have time to sort through all of that but check out what Superman, Clark Kent… whatever- had to say to Esquire:

SR: Do you think that the drive to represent, on an iconic level, will be a factor in your free agency? Do you see yourself in a much larger market?

DH: There’s more you can do in a bigger place. I’m stuck in a tough position because I feel like right now, where I’m at, I’ve done so much. And I just don’t know what else I can do. I can’t live for everybody else. I don’t know what decision I’m gonna make as of right now. It’s been crazy. Everybody wants me to come here, come play here, come to our team, do this. It’s a great feeling, though, to be wanted.

SR: You’re gone. I can feel it.

DH: The toughest part for me is the city – the people. They’ve got burgers named after me in Orlando, they’ve got a Web site saying, “Please stay.” I love the people in the city. I’ve literally sat on the bench with a towel on my head crying, because I feel the passion in the stands. I just think about what’s going to be best for what I want to accomplish in my life. And I don’t want that door to close on me, wherever that door is. I don’t want it to close.

He also covered fatherhood, No direct mention of Royce’s name (I guess he honors what he requests) But he does say that they’re trying to make things better for their son’s welfare:

DH: It’s very important. Hopefully me and my son’s mom will come to a better agreement for my son. When I do see him, we have the best time in the world. He acts just like me. He tries to run like me. He looks back and smiles like me. Fatherhood is great and it will get better. He’s young. He’s gonna need his father in his life. People say you don’t need a father to be successful. I take offense to that. I had an argument with my mom about Father’s Day and why it’s not celebrated like Mother’s Day.

SR: I’ve been around the NBA enough as a writer to see the women who would give anything just to get impregnated. And I’ve seen the men who didn’t care how many kids they had in how many different places, just as long as they had someone to fuck on the road. Pardon my French.

DH: I understand. With some of my teammates, they try so hard to be around their kid, and then the mother of their child makes it so hard. A lot of guys just say, “I’m not gonna deal with it.”

SR: It’s always the kids who pay the price.

DH: I would never, ever desert my child. A lot of my friends didn’t have fathers growing up, and they were very upset that their fathers weren’t around. I was lucky to have mine around.

Well that’s good hear. Hopefully he doesn’t have anymore lawsuits planned for “his son’s mother” either. And since she’s decided to leave Basketball Wives Miami, I imagine that makes things a lot easier.

Sports Culture Analyst Stiletto Jill is from LA, with a background in marketing, PR, and business development. Jill’s resume includes stints at Nike, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Virgin Records.
Jill is a frequent guest on ESPN Radio and Yahoo Sports Radio, and is also a media partner for YardBarker, FoxSports.com and MSN.com

YouGotRondo’d

I don’t know who the author of this article is, but the Nets aren’t the only team that can afford DH. A lot of you people have failed to notice that the BOSTON CELTICS will have money and the Rajon Rondo that could attract Howard. The Celtics and Nets will probably be front runners for Howard considering the big city teams like LA, Chicago, Miami and New York will be unable to obtain Howard due to CBA purposes. Now it’s up to Howard. He can go to Boston where they are all about winning, they have one of the best coaches in the league, and Rajon Rondo will guarantee Howard MANY, MANY touches. OR he can go to New Jersey where Deron Williams, although he may average 8 some odd assists, will also be wanting touches to get to his 20 ppg. My point being, Rondo and William are both unselfish, but between the two, Rondo is less selfish than D Will and will get Howard involved nearly every play. Oh yeah, and one more thing. Rondo has a ring and the playoff experience needed to win a championship. Williams only has the playoff experience to get you to the second round.

Jill

I never said the Nets were the only team that can afford Dwight. But they can offer him both things he’s looking for. Mainstream success is very important to him.